It’s almost like the level of greatness Embiid has reached is handcuffed to a nonchalant boredom that requires him to find different ways to challenge himself. ( The only other player who’s ever crossed those thresholds in the same season is Steph Curry.) Watch enough examples and it’s hard to see fault in Embiid’s thought process. On the other hand, the gap between the right play and the wrong play that’s actually OK can be crossed with an eyelash when made by a towering superstar who has a 65.2 true shooting percentage and 37.3 usage rate. And when he doesn’t play, I take on that role as far as playmaking.” “I like to score the ball, and most of the time James sets me up to do that. “I don’t need to be passing the ball and making plays for my teammates the whole game,” Embiid recently said, describing his snug fit with James Harden. It’s also fair to spot a slight defect in this approach. Regardless of how open they are, how can anyone else, no matter the context, be a better option than he is? It’s easy to appreciate his determination in these spots as the cross-section between unbridled confidence, physicality, and necessary aggression. Unlike Jokic-whose favorite thing about the sport might be dishing out of a double-team-Embiid defies this rule as much as anyone, often sizing up two-on-one confrontations with the not-necessarily-wrong belief that he can either muscle through or pull up over the top. Punish your opponent by taking what they give. One being: When multiple defenders swarm a ball handler, the ball handler should probably pass it to whoever’s open. (Nikola Jokic ranks second on post-ups and Giannis Antetokounmpo is second in isolation.) Yet even though he’s in his seventh season, and has repeatedly dealt with the same coverages over and over again, how Embiid reacts to all that attention remains the most exciting and revealing part of his game.īasketball is lightning fast and dictated by several basic tenets. This season, nobody has drawn more double-teams out of isolation and post-ups than Embiid, per Second Spectrum. It’s here, in these pockets of time and space, that Embiid’s at his most appealing, fierce, and vulnerable. The common-sense reaction by the NBA’s 29 other teams when that happens is to load up, show bodies, and send lots of help from different angles, with different players, and at different junctures. There’s enough power and skill to virtually guarantee something good if he’s granted an opportunity to attack one-on-one. He’s pretty much always the largest, most intimidating person on the court, with a polished jumper, the dexterity of a ballet dancer, and the ability to draw contact and send himself to the free throw line whenever he wants.Įmbiid’s talent now equals what we’d see if we could merge prime Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant into the same body. Send us feedback about these examples.There are countless ways for Joel Embiid to put his dominance on display. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'double-team.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2023 The UConn big man picked apart Gonzaga’s double-teams for five first-half assists, including two for layups. John Marshall, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023 The solution might be to double-team the post from the wing, leaving shooters and daring the Aztecs to fire away. 2023 Brought in by trade to provide a consistent speed rush off the edge, Ngakoue put up solid sack numbers but recorded just 41 pressures, 11 fewer than defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who was double-teamed far more often. 2023 Embiid averaged only 20 points in the series, 13 below his NBA-leading average of 33.1, as the Nets heavily double-teamed him. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, The Warriors were ascending up the defensive rankings and upset the Houston Rockets on Christmas, 116-104, largely thanks to an aggressive defensive scheme that kept James Harden off of the free throw line by double-teaming him at the top of the key. Recent Examples on the Web If Boston is going to ignore Tucker to send extra defenders at Harden and Embiid, should those two fight through double-teams or kick the ball out to Tucker? - Bryan Toporek, Forbes, After reviewing Game 1’s video, Kerr should dial up more double-teams for Davis on Thursday.
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